BJP’s Debangshu Panda Storms Ahead in Falta Repoll, TMC Slips to Fourth

BJP candidate Debangshu Panda opened up a commanding lead of more than 76,000 votes in the Falta assembly repoll on Sunday, delivering a result that not only reshaped the political landscape of the constituency but also dealt a significant blow to the Trinamool Congress in one of its traditional strongholds.

According to counting trends, Panda secured 1,11,270 votes, far ahead of CPI(M) candidate Sambhu Nath Kurmi, who polled 34,873 votes. Congress nominee Abdur Razzak Molla came third with 9,284 votes, while TMC candidate Jahangir Khan trailed in fourth place with just 5,319 votes.

The scale of the BJP’s advantage transformed the repoll from a constituency-level contest into a politically significant verdict, particularly because Falta had long been projected by the TMC as a symbol of its organisational strength in the Diamond Harbour region.

Just weeks ago, the constituency was at the centre of an intense BJP-TMC battle, with the ruling party portraying the area as a key example of the much-publicised "Diamond Harbour model". However, a series of developments altered the trajectory of the contest ahead of the repoll.

Among the biggest twists was the dramatic withdrawal of Jahangir Khan, one of the most prominent faces of the campaign. Known for cultivating a larger-than-life ‘Pushpa’-inspired persona during the election, Khan announced two days before polling that he was stepping aside "for Falta's interest".

His decision generated immediate political controversy after he cited Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s assurance of a special development package for the constituency as one of the factors behind his withdrawal.

The Trinamool Congress quickly sought to distance itself from the move, describing it as his "personal decision".

Observers noted the absence of a visible TMC campaign during the repoll. Several party offices remained inactive, while Khan stayed away from public appearances. Residents claimed that his residence remained locked on polling day and that local party workers were largely missing from the electoral scene.

The BJP capitalised on the situation, repeatedly arguing that the repoll would demonstrate what a "free election" in Falta looked like.

One BJP leader highlighted what he described as the changing political mood in the constituency.

"From this very region, Abhishek Banerjee had secured a massive Lok Sabha lead in 2024. This election may tell a different story about what voters wanted when they could vote freely," he asserted.

The repoll was ordered after the April 29 election became mired in controversy. Allegations surfaced regarding the use of perfume-like substances, suspicious ink markings and adhesive tapes on Electronic Voting Machines across multiple polling booths.

Further scrutiny reportedly uncovered alleged attempts to manipulate web-camera footage from polling stations, prompting the Election Commission to order fresh polling in all 285 booths.

Held on May 21 under heavy security deployment involving around 35 companies of central forces, the repoll recorded a turnout of more than 87 per cent among the constituency’s 2.36 lakh voters.

A formal BJP victory in Falta would take the party’s tally in the Election Commission’s records for the 2026 Assembly election to 208 seats from 207. However, its effective strength in the Assembly would remain unchanged after Adhikari vacated Nandigram following his decision to retain Bhabanipur.

With five rounds of counting still left, BJP leaders were no longer focused on whether they would win the seat. Attention had shifted instead to the size of the eventual winning margin.